Where does the money stand in key Northern Nevada local government races?

Donors gave hundreds of thousands to candidates running in key Northern Nevada races from July through September.

The Reno mayoral race saw apparent record-breaking quarterly fundraising hauls — bringing the candidates' totals this cycle to more than $1.6 million — while candidates seen as the favorites to win contests in Washoe County and Sparks had significant fundraising advantages.

See below for our main takeaways for Northern Nevada local government races.

Reno mayoral fundraising offers insight into donor size, location

The candidates appear to have broken the record for most money raised in a single quarter for a Reno mayoral candidate — but there was still a significant gap between the two.

Reno City Council Member Kathleen Taylor amassed an eyebrow-raising $502,000 from July through September, while former Nevada treasurer and Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall raised about $265,000.

Taylor also spent more than $400,000 in the quarter — five times as much as Marshall — but has much less cash on hand.

Campaign donations have been a major theme in the election, with Marshall touting her support from small-dollar donations and Taylor lodging criticisms against Marshall for seeking support in Southern Nevada.

About 4.2 percent of Marshall's haul came from people who donated $100 or less. By contrast, about 0.32 percent of Taylor's haul came from people who donated $100 or less.

In a statement, Marshall said her "campaign is powered by a broad base of supporters who are investing what they can in the future of our city," and that she is "focused on fighting for the issues that matter to residents, not the interests of big money."

Meanwhile, Taylor said in a statement that, "Every contribution, whether it's $20, $100 or $1,000, represents someone who believes Reno deserves responsible leadership and a city government focused on the priorities that matter most to our residents."

Read More: Data centers, Flock cameras and Reno's budget take center stage in tense mayoral forum

Both candidates had about 73 percent of their donations — when only including people who gave more than $100 — coming from Reno residents, with Marshall's share slightly higher, a Nevada Independent analysis found. 

However, those numbers diverged significantly when expanding to all of Northern Nevada. About 92 percent of Taylor's haul of donors that gave more than $100 came from cities in Northern Nevada, while Marshall's share was about 78 percent. About 7 percent of Marshall's money came from people in Las Vegas, and she also received money from 12 other states and Washington, D.C. Taylor received money from donors in four other states.

Some donors also stood out.

Taylor received money from myriad construction or development companies, while Marshall received money from Rory Reid, the son of former Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), and current and former Southern Nevada officials, including Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft and former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst.

Both candidates also received money from Peppermill Casino and the local branches of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and laborers union.

Reno council races see close, wide fundraising gaps

Two Reno City Council races are also on the ballot this year.

Significantly more money is pouring into the open race for Ward 2, which covers southwest Reno.

Summer Pellett, the co-founder of a local construction company, raked in more than $74,000. That's more than double the amount of her opponent, Matt Johnson, the former owner of a Reno brewery and current UNR employee, who brought in about $34,000.

Pellett also spent about four times as much as Johnson and has more than double the amount of cash on hand.

About 19 percent of Johnson's haul — totaling more than $6,500 — came from donors who gave $100 or less. Meanwhile, Pellett only raised $101 from these donors, making up 0.14 percent of her total haul.

Johnson also only had two donations of more than $1,000 — one coming from Monarch Casino and Resort — while Pellett had 22 of these donations.

Read More: Where do candidates for Reno mayor, city council stand on the issues?

In the race for Ward 4, which covers the North Valleys, the candidates are more neck and neck. Incumbent Meghan Ebert raised about $12,000, while 25-year-old taqueria owner Eddie Gomez brought in about $10,000.

Gomez has much more cash on hand, but that is because of a $30,000 loan he made to himself earlier this year. Both candidates previously told The Indy that they paused their campaigns amid the aftermaths of this summer's fires in the North Valleys. 

Steep fundraising gap emerges in Sparks mayor race

Ed Lawson is seeking another term as Sparks mayor, and he has a comfortable fundraising lead.

He raised more than $82,000, with top donations coming from casinos and building and development groups. He also has about $60,000 in cash on hand. His opponent, winery owner Wendi Rawson, raised about $6,500 and has about $2,600 in cash on hand. 

One seat for Sparks City Council is also on the ballot. But as of Monday afternoon, which was four days after the deadline, incumbent Dian VanderWell had not filed her campaign finance report. Jamie O'Connell, her opponent who works at a medical billing company, did not report raising any money.

Fundraising advantages hold in Washoe County Commission races 

Candidates for the three Washoe County Commission seats on the ballot raised a combined $181,000 from July through September, and in each district one candidate raised far more than their opponent.

Read more: Washoe County is outgrowing its infrastructure — a key issue for commission candidates

The biggest gap is in District 3, where Commissioner Mariluz Garcia, a Democrat seeking a second term, raised about $56,700 during the quarter and ended September with about $139,000 in cash on hand, nearly three times as much as any other commission candidate. Her Republican challenger, Troy Regas, raised about $1,700 and had about $1,100 left. His largest donation came from the Grocery Outlet of Sparks.

Many of Garcia's large donations came from development, construction and gaming interests. About a third of the money Garcia received from donors who gave more that $100 came from addresses outside of Nevada, according to an Indy analysis. Those donors included Waste Management in Houston and the engineering firm Wood Rogers in Sacramento. About 2.9 percent of her haul came from people who gave $100 or less. 

In District 5, Republican Rob Pierce, who has served on the county Planning Commission, raised about $59,100, more than any other commission candidate this quarter, and had about $48,700 on hand. Democrat Brian Wadsworth raised about $12,400, including a loan of about $2,150 that he gave his own campaign, but spent about $14,700 and finished the quarter with about $3,800 on hand.

Roughly 86 percent of the money Pierce received from donors who gave more than $100 came from Northern Nevada.

Small-dollar donors made up a larger share of Wadsworth's money. About 11.7 percent of his haul came from people who gave $100 or less, compared with about 1 percent of Pierce's.

Libertarian Lisa Lee withdrew from the race in August and reported no fundraising, though her name will remain on the ballot. 

In District 2, Republican Jon Killoran, who beat incumbent Commissioner Mike Clark in the June primary, raised about $38,000 and spent about $17,800 during the quarter, ending September with about $29,300. His donors included Hamilton Properties, which gave $5,000, and Monarch Casino & Resort, Irish Capital and TDC Operating, which each gave $2,500. 

Democrat Marie Rodriguez raised about $12,200 and had about $6,600 on hand. About $4,600 of her haul came from Rodriguez herself, mostly as an in-kind contribution for consulting that she recorded as a loan. She also had the largest share of small-dollar money of any commission candidate, with about 17.5 percent coming from people who gave $100 or less.

Several donors gave across races and party lines, including the law firm Clark Hill, Vidler Water Company and NV Energy's utility subsidiaries. The Northern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council's political committee gave to all three Democrats and to Pierce.